


These Eight are Alive

by Fitzfire



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Anime Spoilers, Chapter 91 Speculation, Gen, Speculation, Time Skip Speculation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-30 04:19:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10153508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fitzfire/pseuds/Fitzfire
Summary: In the aftermath of the Operation to Reclaim Wall Maria, Levi and Hanji take stock of what they have left.





	

 “There’s been an accident.”

Levi was up out of his seat and running. He shoved past Jean and vaulted down the steps. He knew this couldn’t possibly be happening. Surely someone had known not to leave Hanji unsupervised. But with Moblit dead, maybe it had slipped someone’s mind.

The Commander of the Survey Corps had slipped someone’s mind?

Would she be in her quarters? In a hospital? He wished he had waited long enough to ask Jean where they’d taken her. But then he heard the footsteps pounding down behind him.

“Where is she!” he snarled. Jean jerked back. Before that moment, Jean probably couldn’t have imagined Levi losing his composure like this.

“The hospital in the center of town! The Reeve’s company is calling in the best physicians.”

Levi spun. The boy seemed to know a lot about the situation. “Is she going to be alright?” he demanded.

Jean nodded hesitantly. There was something else on his mind

Levi moved a step toward him, eyes flashing darkly. “What aren’t you telling me, brat?”

Jean swallowed visibly.

“Answer me!” Levi flinched inwardly at the palpable desperation in his voice.

“You’re almost as scary as Mikasa,” Jean said. He stood at attention, eyes focused straight ahead. He didn’t flinch, or take a step back, or show any outward sign that he was anything more than uncomfortable.

Levi took a step back. He was out of line.

“Come on,” Levi jerked his head in the direction of the town.

Jean was almost jogging, trying to keep up with Levi’s brisk pace. They wound and weaved through the Survey Corps barracks and then out into the town.

“It’s my fault,” Jean told him.

“I doubt that. When Hanji gets herself into trouble, it’s always her own fault.” He’d hoped that the woman had come to her senses in light of her new promotion. He should have known better.

“It is!” Jean insisted. “I, well, I’ve been trying to hang around her for the last few weeks. From what I’d heard and seen, I knew she wasn’t very careful. That’s what her assistant-“

“Moblit!” This boy better fucking remember the man’s name.

Jean flushed with shame. “Moblit, he watched over her right? I know Eren and Mikasa are wrapped up in Armin. Sasha and Connie are oblivious. Flocke’s a shithead. I just figured-“

“You took it upon yourself to babysit Commander Hanji.”

Jean nodded and Levi would have been impressed with his honesty if his mind hadn’t fixated on whatever new horrifying scenario his mind had conjured up.

“Then why did this happen!” he demanded.

“I slept in! She said she wasn’t training Armin today! Eren was supposed to wake me up, but his mind’s so scrambled I don’t think he remembers my name half the time.” The boy was panting now. “When I woke up to see Eren and Armin gone, I knew I had to get over there. I was shrugging Vertical Maneuvering Gear when Armin came rushing in to get me.”

Levi grabbed Jean by the shoulder and yanked him back, and promptly smacked Jean upside the head. “First lesson: Never trust Hanji when she says she’s taking the day off to do experiments.”

Jean nodded.

“What happened?”

“Armin lost control of his steam and burned Eren, Mikasa, and Hanji badly.”

Levi was off running again.

 

* * *

 

 

No, it wasn’t a bad hospital. Not at all the kind of establishment one would expect in the run down Trost District. That Reeves boy really was doing a fine job.

It wasn’t hard to find the three of them. Mikasa was twittering at Eren worriedly, and Hanji was yelling at one of the nurses, claiming that she was perfectly fine. Levi hadn’t expected anything more.

“Hanji! What the hell were you thinking?”

“That’s Commander Hanji to you!” She tried to prop herself up on her elbows but cursed as sheets scraped against flesh.

“Commander, you’ve got burns all over your arms-“ Jean began. Hanji cut him off with a vicious glare. He shut his mouth.

Levi surveyed the three bedridden soldiers. Mikasa looked the worst. She’d probably either slammed Eren down or went running into Armin’s steam. Eren looked better, he hardly had a burn on him, besides those on the backs of his hand. Hanji’s skin was raw all the way up her forearms, she must have pulled up her sleeves. Thankfully, all they’d sustained were first degree burns. It could have been worse.

“Thank god we were wearing those helmets,” Hanji commented. Mikasa nodded vigorously, but Eren barely responded.

“Why the hell didn’t you stay a safe distance away from him?” Levi asked, frustrated, but slowly regaining his composure.

“I was-“

“No, you weren’t. You never do, and you always say that. Hanji! You’re the Commander now, you can’t take these stupid risks.”

Hanji just laughed. “I can’t take risks? I’m the Commander of the Survey Corps! All we do is take risks.”

“Not unnecessary ones.”

“It’s not so bad,” Eren said, staring up at the wall. “It doesn’t burn as bad as being inside a titan’s stomach.”

The three of them turned their heads toward the titan shifter.

“Eren?” Mikasa asked hesitantly.

Eren blinked several times before looking around. Then his hand shot up and tangled in his hair, pressing against his skull. He grimaced in pain, and Levi couldn’t tell if the sensation was from the burns or something else.

“Eren wait! What do you remember?” Hanji jerked up into a sitting position. She tried to lean toward him but instead almost fell out of the bed.

“Commander!” Jean tried to step forward.

“Shut up!” she shouted, fixing Jean with a withering look. Levi looked back at Jean. His face was set. Levi suspected he’d been receiving reactions like those often.

“It’s not my father’s memories. I bit him in half.” Eren mumbled. “Maybe they’re my own? Or one of the kings…”

“You don’t have to think about it!” Mikasa touched his shoulder.

“Mikasa!” Hanji snapped. “This is paramount…”

“I’m so sorry I was gone so long!” Armin shouted, running up at full tilt toward the five soldiers. He was carrying water flasks in his arms. Eren smiled for the first time as he thanked Armin, but Hanji took hers without a word.

“Armin!” Levi barked. “What did you do?” Mikasa fixed him with a scathing glance.

Armin saluted nervously and rattled off words in rapid fire. “In previous experiments, Hanji advised me to maintain tight control over the steam. Early today, though, she told me not to hold back.

Levi rounded on Mikasa. “How close were you?” he demanded.

“About thirty yards,” she said, meeting his gaze unflinchingly.

Levi shut his eyes for a moment. He understood, he really did, but that wasn’t an excuse. “Hanji! Are you out of your mind?”

“We had no way of knowing how large the circumference of-“

Levi looked directly at Eren, expecting a response. He’d been the one who had ripped Bertolt out of his colossal form. Eren was still staring at Armin, but the blonde boy nudged Eren and nodded over in Levi’s direction.

“We should have stood back father,” he said bluntly.

Levi bit back his rage. “And you didn’t think to-“

“He did!” Mikasa was the only person who’d dare interrupt Levi. “Hanji didn’t listen!”

“That’s enough Mikasa!” Hanji snapped. Levi stared at her. When had she become so angry?

What an idiotic question. He knew the answer to that.

Levi all of a sudden felt very tired. “Armin, could you pull a few chairs over here for the three of us?” he asked. Armin nodded and flew off to complete the task.

Levi looked back over at the titan shifter lying in bed. “Why aren’t your hands healing Eren?”

He didn’t respond.

“He doesn’t care to,” Mikasa said miserably. Eren curled away from her and breathed a long sigh out of his nose.

“You’re taking up a bed that someone without superhuman healing powers might actually need! Grow a pair and get your ass up.”

“Fuck off Jean,” Eren muttered, but then smoke started rising from Eren’s body. He’d begun to heal himself.

 

* * *

 

 

The six of them sat together for almost an hour, leaving the fate of the Survey Corp in the hands of Connie, Sasha, and Flocke. Jean had pointed this out sometime during the silence. The only one who’d laughed was, surprisingly, Eren. But other than that, no one spoke. The heat radiating off Hanji and Mikasa’s bodies was nothing compared to the chill that had blown in from the outside. Armin lay with his knees tucked to his chin on Eren’s cot. Mikasa could do nothing but stare at each little change in Eren’s expression as he remembered and remembered so many lives that weren’t his own.

Levi couldn’t say for sure what Hanji or Jean were thinking, but all he could do was reflect on all of his losses.

Erwin.

He was never supposed to have died first.

“Guys!” came a pleasant sounding voice from behind them. All six of them turned. Sasha and Connie stood behind them, baskets in hand. Sasha stepped forward and offered hers to Jean. “We thought you might be hungry!”

Jean looked down and smirked. “Steamed potatoes.”

“Steamed potatoes for steamed people!” Sasha said proudly.

“I told you not to say it like that!” Connie complained.

“Look guys!” Jean called, holding one out for the other members of the 104th to see. “Look what Sasha brought us!” Armin grinned and stuck out his hand. Jean gave it to him and then passed one to Mikasa.

 Eren held his in front of his face, staring. “What is the significance of this?” he asked.

“Huh?” Connie asked. “Like, Sasha, potatoes, Potato Girl. It was only like three years ago man.”

Eren blinked, but then shook his head. “I don’t remember.”

The rest of the 104th fell silent.

“Eren, you mean you don’t remember training?” Jean could not believe what he was asking.

“Yeah, I mean, of course I do. It’s just…” He trailed off, still looking down at the potato.

“Eren?” Mikasa’s voice was so small and pitiful.

Then Eren’s eyes lit up. “Yes! When we were mustered! And Sarge saw you eating that potato you stole. And then he made you run all night! I remember!” He sounded so proud of himself.

Mikasa looked as if she was about to cry.

 

* * *

 

“They’re good kids,” Levi said, walking with Hanji toward the edge of town.

“I suppose,” she said. The sun had already set by the time Hanji had been discharged from the hospital. They’d wanted to keep Mikasa overnight. Eren, Armin, and Jean decided to keep her company. Sasha and Connie had left long before the sky grew dark.

“What Hanji?”

“There just not…” She trailed off.

“Not Moblit? Not Erwin, or Mike, or Nanaba, or Petra, or Oluo, or Gunter, or Eld, or Nifa…”

“I get it Levi!” Hanji snapped. “No! They aren’t! And those kids can’t replace them.”

“Is that why you’re being a shit to Jean?”

“He needs to mind his own damn business,” she muttered.

“No, Hanji, he doesn’t.”

“I don’t want him-“

Levi stopped walking. “Do you want to know who Erwin wasn’t? Who Petra wasn’t? They weren’t Isabel or Furlan. They weren’t Kenny. They weren’t any of the men and women I watched die in the underground.”

“What are you getting at Levi?”

“Your parents are tucked safely on the north side of wall Rosa, right? You don’t have any siblings. Moblit was the only person who joined the Survey Corps from your trannie division.”

Hanji narrowed her eyes.

“Moblit was the first person you loved that you had to watch die.”

Hanji looked away.

Levi nodded, looking off into the distance. “It doesn’t ever get better.”

“It wasn’t an accident,” she whispered.

“I know.”

“I wanted to feel what he felt. When he burned up for me.”

Levi took a step back and shoved his hands in his pockets. “You know, it’s stupid to try and remember something that happened to someone else. You don’t want to end up like that brat do you?”

They were quiet for a moment.

“Hanji, what I’m trying to say is that you’re going to lose people, even those that mean more than anything. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start all over again.”

“With these brats?”

“They’re not bad.”

“Mikasa made an attempt on your life.”

Levi shrugged.

“Starting all over again,” Hanji mumbled.

“I’m still here.”

“…did you just imply that you are in love with me?”

“What? Where the hell did you get that?”

“You were just talking losing people that meant more than anything. Are you trying to tell me something?”

“Shut up Shit Glasses.”

“Should I start planning the wedding?”

“So you’re saying you’d marry me?”

“Absolutely! You and Mikasa are the best soldier in the history of the Survey Corps. Is it a coincidence? Or is that Ackerman bloodline you mentioned a real phenomenon? More evidence is required to perform a statistical analysis.”

“You’re saying you want to bear my children so you can study them. Do I have that right?”

“Exactly. Preferably, we’d have Mikasa have a couple kids as well. I’m sure Eren or Jean will get that job done at some point.”

Levi covered his mouth, stifling his chuckles. It had been the first time he’d laughed since Erwin had died.


End file.
